


A Song of Silence and Blood

by IceKrystal13



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/F, F/M, Murder Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-23
Updated: 2016-06-15
Packaged: 2018-06-03 21:39:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6627520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceKrystal13/pseuds/IceKrystal13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After finding out she is adopted by the Nohr family, Kamui seeks out her birth mother. But her mother, Mikoto, is married to the head of the Hoshido family, the longtime rivals of her adoptive family. And getting the two families to get along for her sake would be difficult enough without a deranged serial killer out to get them all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Song of Conquest and Fate

**Author's Note:**

> A while back, I thought... what would a modern AU of Fates be like? And this is what came out of it. As the title suggests, this is based on the Revelation path. A lot of things are different, as you've seen. The main differences are that Sumeragi, Mikoto, and Katerina are all alive. Shenmei... well, you'll have to wait and see.
> 
> The ships are as follows: Kamui/Aqua, Xander/Hinoka, Ryoma/Camilla, Leo/Sakura, and Takumi/Elise. I will be including as many of the other characters as possible (including some Awakening ones other than just Inigo, Owain, and Severa). But first and foremost, this is a mystery... which will be touched upon next chapter.
> 
> I decided to do f!Kamui as most Kamui/Aqua fics have m!Kamui, and the ship is just the same to me regardless of Kamui's gender. f!Kamui/Aqua needs some more representation.
> 
> Anyways, that's all I have to say for now.

It was one of those days.

One of the days where Felicia and Flora had to dump ice water on me just to wake me up. One of the days I missed Gunter taking Leo and Elise to school. One of the days I had to throw on the nearest set of clothes I could find, whether they were clean or not. One of the days I had to call my best friend Silas to pick me up so I could _barely_ get to class on time. _It was one of those days_.

"Gods, Kamui, you're a mess."

"Thanks, Silas. I _really_ appreciate it."

My best friend had finally shown up, pulling up in his nice black Ford Mustang, and I had yanked open the door and plopped inside before he could even greet me. Silas was frowning, and reached out to pick something out of my hair, which I had put up in a haphazard ponytail. Unlike me, he was sophisticated as always, with his silver hair styled with gel so it spiked up in the front, fancy black dress shirt, and impeccable jeans.

"You have… ice in your hair," he said.

Silas had been my best friend for as long as I could remember. He belonged to another rich family, which was how we first met. Our parents had originally intended for us to be prospective marriage matches… but any kind of arranged marriage was dropped when I came out as a lesbian when I was fifteen. Silas was my right hand man, without a doubt, and I'd go as far to say I'd trust him with my life, and we were inseparable. We laugh about the marriage thing all the time.

"Yeah, I know. I got the Ice Twin Special today. But seriously, can we get moving? My class is in five minutes! _Five minutes_ , Silas!"

"Okay, okay! You sure woke up on the wrong side of the bed today."

Finally, he pressed his foot down on the gas pedal and eased his car into motion, driving down the circular driveway that spanned in front of my family's mansion. Gods… if Father and Mother found out I had slept in again, I was going to get lectured later.

But now that we were finally moving, I let out an exhausted sigh and leaned back in my seat. This semester had been hell so far. I knew my major wasn't easy—I was studying to be a veterinarian, after all—but the classes I were taking were kicking my ass. Plus… I had other things on my mind. A lot of other things.

Two years ago, when I turned eighteen, my parents told me that I was adopted. In fact… almost all of us were. My older brother Xander was actually their only blood child, but after he was born, Mother was told it would be dangerous to have anymore children. So my parents sought children to adopt. My big sister Camilla was five when she was adopted, so she always knew. Then they adopted me as a infant. My two younger siblings, Leo and Elise, were blood related, and had been adopted when they were four and two respectively.

I still loved my family. Us not being related by blood didn't matter to me. But I had been interested in finding out who my birth mother was, and had spent the past two years trying to get information out of the agency my parents used to adopt me. It… wasn't going that well. Until recently, when an agent there called me and said they would have information for me soon.

"Kamui? We're here."

I had been so lost in thought, I hadn't noticed that we had already reached my university. I gaped out the window, still processing it through my tired brain. Damn, either that was fast, or I was slow. Probably the latter.

"Thanks, Silas," I said, grabbing my bag and opening the door. "I owe you. Lemme pay you back with coffee after classes end today. We haven't been able to hang out as much lately because I've been studying all the time."

Silas just smiled. "It's cool, Kamui. I understand you're juggling some really tough classes. But coffee sounds good. I feel I'm gonna need it with the test in Calc we need to study for."

I let out a pained groan. "Gods, don't _remind_ me. See you later, Silas."

Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I slammed the car door shut. I was already late… so there was no point in rushing and hurting myself over it. But I still was so tired, I didn't notice a small twig on the sidewalk, and promptly tripped over it, falling flat on my face and spilling the coffee Jakob had given me before leaving the house.

"AHHHH HOT HOT HOT!"

"Are you okay?!"

I had already pushed myself up onto my knees, ignoring the scrapes on my hands and arms to pull my shirt as far away from my body as possible. Hearing a voice that vaguely reminded me of an angel, I wondered for a moment if the coffee had somehow killed me and I was going to heaven. And looking up to see who it was, I might as well have gone to heaven.

"Um… uh… y-yeah."

_Very eloquent, Kamui._

It was a girl, probably around my age. She had long, pale blue hair—and I mean long as in longer than Camilla's and my own long—and striking gold eyes. Built lean in an athletic sort of way, her slight frame gave her a delicate appearance despite the fact that she was obviously fit. She was wearing a light blue tank top with high waisted white shorts with six silver buttons, and a stylish pair of glittery white thong sandals. An unusual pendant hung around her neck.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that."

The girl held out her hand, and I accepted it, letting her help me up. Gods… of all times to meet a cute girl, I had to be looking like _this_. I'd never been so embarrassed before in my life!

I immediately looked down at my poor t-shirt though, and groaned. "It's so ruined… I can't go to class like this!"

"Um… well, I have an extra shirt you can borrow."

I looked over at her in surprise. "Really? Wow, that's really kind of you."

She let out a soft, but clearly embarrassed laugh. "Well, I… I just transferred here, so I thought it would be a good idea to try to make new friends."

A transfer student, huh… Well, that explained why I had never seen her around before.

"Welcome to Krakenburg University, then!" I flashed a friendly smile. "I'm Kamui. Nice to meet you."

"My name is Aqua," she said, a small smile forming on her lips. "It's nice to meet you as well."

My cell phone beeped loudly in my back pocket. I pulled it out… and there was my alarm that I was extra late to class. I groaned.

"Ugh… no point in going to class now." I shoved it back into my pocket. "If you can grab that shirt… I'll show you where the locker rooms are."

She nodded. "My car is over this way."

Note to self: Get off your butt and either start saving for our own car or try to kiss up to Father to convince him to buy you one.

I followed her through the parking lot, and she took to me a powder blue Prius. I ended up just standing there as she unlocked it, popped the trunk, and went to grab a duffel bag out of the trunk.

"It's just one of my workout shirts for dance," she explained. "But that should be fine… considering what you're wearing."

A forever coffee stained Lion King t-shirt and gray sweatpants? Yeah…

"You dance?" I asked in surprise.

"Um, yes… and sing." A faint blush formed on her cheeks. "I guess you could say I'm a performer."

"That's really cool!" I exclaimed, very much impressed. "Like seriously! I have zero coordination and my little brother says I sound like a dying weasel when I sing."

Aqua giggled softly. "It's not that impressive… but thank you, Kamui."

So I showed her to the locker rooms after that. They were inside the gym, which was thankfully empty at the moment. Once inside, Aqua handed me the shirt and I went inside a toilet stall to change. The shirt was a little on the tight side I was definitely bigger than her, but it worked. When I stepped out, Aqua seemed to examine me.

"Ah… it's a little small. I apologize."

"It's not a big deal," I said, waving her off. "Guess that means no donuts during Speech later…"

But Aqua didn't laugh at that. Instead, she shifted nervously on her feet. "Kamui, can I ask a favor?"

"Sure," I said, a little caught off guard. "What is it?"

"Would you mind giving me a tour of the campus? I'm still struggling with navigation."

I smiled. "Yeah, no problem. You helped me, so I'll help you!"

She did smile this time. "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

* * *

After giving Aqua a tour, we exchanged cell numbers, so I could return the shirt later, _and_ so we could hang out some time. And despite having to go to my other classes, I was in a never ending chipper mood. I had never felt this way after meeting someone before, but I was so _happy_. I even annoyed my lab partner in Bio, though Laurent is easy to annoy.

But when I saw the family car pulling into the parking lot after all my classes were done… that good mood crashed and I sent a text to Silas telling him I'd have to take a rain check on coffee.

If Gunter was here to pick me up, that meant Father had sent him. _Which meant… that lecture was happening_.

"Dusk Dragon help me," I muttered under my breath before putting my phone away and walking up to the car, accepting my dire fate.

It wasn't like my parents were mean… They were kind, but strict. Gunter was the same way. I adored them, but I always got nervous when they wanted to talk to me in private.

The door opened before I even got there, and Gunter stepped out. He was our chauffeur and bodyguard, a chiseled war veteran that served my father in the military back in the day. The scar he had on his face was proof of that Since he had lost his family to a house fire, Gunter had nowhere to go, so my father invited him to leave with us and gave him the job of helping protect the family. He was like a grandfather to me.

"Good afternoon, milady," Gunter greeted me like he always did when I stopped in front of him.

"Hi, Gunter," I said. "I didn't expect you to come pick me up."

He chuckled. "Garon and Katerina requested I do so on my way to get Leo and Elise."

...Okay, well, at least I wouldn't be heading home _alone_.

"All right," I said.

Gunter opened the back door for me, so I got in, set my bag down, and buckled up. At least no one had questioned what I was wearing… _yet_. Knowing Leo, he probably would make a smartass comment on it once I saw him.

So Gunter drove off, heading for Windmire High School. It was a private school for rich kids, and I had gone there when I was younger, along with Xander and Camilla. It was a good school… if you ignored how snobby and preppy the students could be. Gods, it had been hell when it got out that I'm gay. I had only told Silas, and the information hadn't come from him. Someone overheard us talking about cute girls once, and the rumor exploded from there. I didn't care what people thought of me when it came to my sexuality, but my classmates made my last two years of high school pure hell on earth.

Still, I liked Windmire and didn't mind visiting it from time to time. I didn't blame the school for its bigoted students.

I took out my phone to play Candy Crush during the ride. When we pulled into the parking lot, I quit my game and put my phone away… because my little sister _loved_ stealing my phone and sending embarrassing texts to my contacts. Gunter got out of the car.

Moments later, the door opened and I heard a loud, "BIG SISTER!"

Elise somehow launched herself into the car to glomp me so hard, I got the wind knocked right out of me.

"Big Sis, I missed you _so_ much this morning!" she exclaimed, squeezing me tighter.

"E-Elise… I can't… breathe…"

"Elise, could you _seriously_ act your age for a change?"

She let go of me, plopping down in the middle seat and turning to stick her tongue out at our brother. "Could you _seriously_ stop being a stick-in-the-mud?"

Now that I could breathe again, I sat back up just as Gunter closed the door and walked around the car to get back into the driver's seat. "Good to see you too."

Like I said before, Leo and Elise are the only blood related ones out of my siblings, and it was obvious.

Leo was seventeen, a couple months shy of his eighteenth birthday. He kept his blonde hair in a typical shaggy teenage boy style, but not a hair was out of place, and his eyes were brown. He was wearing the usual black black sweater vest over a white dress shirt, jeans, and dress shoes. He was a senior in high school, and huge nerd. By huge nerd I mean he can hack into any computer system, and was the one responsible for reprograming Tumblr a few months ago.

Then there was Elise, who had turned sixteen last month. She had platinum blonde hair pulled up in two long pigtails, tied with cute black ribbons, and lavender eyes. She was a tiny little thing, looking a lot younger than she actually was. She wore a black tank top with a lacy pink undershirt underneath, a frilly pink mini skirt, and a pair of pink flats with bows on the toes. She was a sophomore, and played the violin in orchestra.

Leo rolled his eyes at our sister. "Oh, please. Someone has to be the serious one without Xander around."

Xander and Camilla, being the oldest out of us, had moved out already. For Xander, it was a couple of years ago. He had his own flat in the big city, closer to where the family business, Nohr Electronics, was. For Camilla, it had been last year. She also moved out of the mansion district, Dragonfall Heights, into the main city, sharing an apartment with her best friend Beruka.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" I demanded.

"How can I take you seriously when you go to university dressed like _that_?"

I looked down at myself. The shirt that Aqua had lent me had started riding up my back since it was too small, and my sweatpants had sprinkles of the coffee on them still.

"I was in a rush! And I spilled coffee on myself, so a friend let me borrow an extra shirt she had!"

"A friend?!" Elise asked excitedly. "I thought Silas was your only friend! Well, other than Felicia, Flora, and Jakob, but they don't count 'cause they work for us."

...Way to burn me, little sister.

"W-Well, there's Charlotte," I said.

"There is no way that's Charlotte's shirt!" Elise huffed. "Her boobs are huuuge! Like this big!" She held out her hands in an over exaggeration.

Leo pressed a hand to his forehead. "Gods, Elise…"

She puffed out her cheeks. "It's true! C'mon, are you saying you haven't looked?"

"...I'm not a pervert," Leo deadpanned.

"Oh, he's looked, all right," I said, smirking playfully.

Leo gave me a death glare. "Shut. _Up_."

Elise giggled. "Aw, there's nothing to be ashamed of, Leo! You're a strong heterosexual male!"

"...Can we seriously stop talking about this?"

Elise and I burst out laughing. Oh, how I love torturing my little brother. He's such a sucker for it.

We chatted for a few more minutes, and then we finally pulled up into the circular driveway. Gunter parked the car, and got out to open the door for us. We all filed out, grabbing our things. I wasn't sure if I should be relieved or panicked that I was home.

But barely had Gunter shut the car door when my phone went off. I pulled it out of my pocket, and checked to see who was calling. It was the number of the adoption agency. Not wasting another second, I answered.

"Hello?"

" _Hello, Kamui,"_ the agent greeted me. " _This is Marie from Kismet Adoption Agency. I have some good news!"_

"Oh! Did you find out more about my mother?"

" _Yes, I did. Her name is Mikoto Valla, but she has married since having you. I emailed you the address where you can find her. She lives in Dragonfall Heights, actually—not too far from where you live."_

Mikoto Valla… That was my birth mother's name. Despite the fact that I had been spending the past two years of my life searching for this, it was weird… actually finding out. I was so close to meeting the woman who had given birth to me… and finding out why she had given me up.

"All right, thank you," I said. "I really appreciate you doing this for me."

I heard her chuckle on the other end. " _It's nothing, dear. Just doing my job. I hope everything goes well for you."_

I was aware that everyone was looking at me now. "Thank you again. I'll keep you posted."

" _All right! Buh-bye!"_

"Goodbye." I hung up. "Sorry, that was the adoption agency."

"Oh?" Leo raised an eyebrow. "Have they given you any _actual_ information?"

I nodded. "Yeah. The name of my birth mother."

"Wow!" Elise exclaimed. "That's great, big sis! I'm so happy for you!"

She was being honest, but… hearing her say that hit with me a twinge of guilt. Leo and Elise's parents… had died in a drunk driver accident. They were driving home late from a day in the city when they were hit head on by a truck. Leo and Elise's survival was a miracle in itself. Leo had some memories of his birth parents, but Elise had none. It made me realize that I truly was lucky to have this chance to get my know my birth mother.

"Yeah," I said with a small smile. "It really is. Thanks, Elise."

Gunter cleared his throat. "We should head inside, children. We should not keep your parents waiting."

"Right. Sorry."

Gunter led us to the front doors. The Nohr mansion was one of more elaborates houses in Dragonfall Heights. It resembled a medieval castle, with mini 'towers' with windows on them jutting up from the inclined roof. It was made of grave stone, with steel framed windows. It looked kind of intimidating to passerby, and I'll admit I was a bit afraid of the outside when I was younger. But this was definitely _home_.

The front doors opened right as we scaled the front steps, revealing Jakob. "Welcome back Lady Kamui, Lord Leo, and Lady Elise."

Jakob was one of the three servants we had working for us. He was around my age, maybe a year or two older. I'll be honest… everything about him screams butler, from his clothes to how he wore his hair. He took his job very seriously, to the point where I wasn't even allowed to make my own coffee in the morning.

"Thank you, Jakob," I said, giving him a smile despite the foreboding sense of doom I was feeling.

"You're welcome, milady," he responded. "Shall I escort you to speak with your parents?"

...Oh gods. This was worse than I feared.

"We're coming too!" Elise exclaimed.

Was this some sort of intervention? Gods, what did I do to deserve this?

"Of course," I sighed, contemplating how I was about to die.

Since Gunter remained outside to put away the car, Jakob shut the door and began to lead us down the vast front hall. On the left was the doorway to the den, and to the left was the doorway to the dining hall, which was also connected to the kitchen on another end. But straight ahead was a large arching doorway that opened up to the Great Hall, where were entertained guests, and that was where Jakob was leading us.

I took a deep breath, preparing myself for whatever impending doom was waiting for me, and stepped into the Hall after Jakob.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAMUI!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin as all of my friends and family leaped out from behind the various pieces of furniture in the vast room. Felicia and Flora threw confetti into the air. Silas loudly blew a kazoo. Charlotte was here too… and so were Xander and Camilla.

"W-What?" I sputtered, still in shock.

"Oh, silly big sis! Did you forget your own birthday?" Elise asked with a giggle.

...Well, apparently I did. It was my twentieth birthday today… Wow, good job, me.

"Another thing to add to the list," Leo said, making a point to pull out his cell phone to record it.

"H-Hey-"

"Oh, come here, you!"

I never got to finish my protest, because my older siblings came up to us, and Camilla proceeded to pull me into a bone crushing hug.

"Just look at my precious baby sister, all grown up!" she cooed, hugging me even tighter. "You're not a teenager anymore… Oh, how time flies."

"Ack—Camilla… I can't… _breathe_ …"

She released me at that moment, and I stumbled back, nearly bumping into Leo.

"Look at her, Xander!" she exclaimed happily. "Our little Kamui is all grown up!"

Xander chuckled. "Yes, yes, I can see."

My big brother and sister… despite the surprise, I was really happy to see them. It had been a few months since the last time we had all been together as a family.

Xander was the oldest of us at twenty-four. He worked at Nohr Electronics with Father as preparation to take over someday, and that kept him very busy. He was tall, towering over us all, and had slightly curly blond hair, and brown eyes. With how he was wearing a black suit jacket, a white dress shirt, and black slacks, he probably just got out of work.

Camilla was twenty-two, and spent most of her time volunteering at various charities whenever she didn't have class or needed to study. She had long curly lavender hair, with her bangs falling down to cover the side of her face, and brown eyes. She was wearing a thin and tightly fitting turtleneck tank top with a cleavage window (which is _so_ Camilla, I don't even know where to start), tight black capris, and her usual pair of sandals with stiletto heels.

"I could just pinch your cheeks!" Camilla exclaimed, before reaching out to try to do so.

I quickly navigated away from her. "No, anything but that!"

That got everyone laughing. Well… at least we all were happy. But I wiggled away from them to go see the others. First, I went to Felicia and Flora, who Jakob had already joined.

The first thing I said was, "This was your idea, wasn't it?" to Felicia.

She giggled. "Guilty as charged! But Flora helped too."

Felicia and Flora were twin sisters who came to serve us when they were young children. They were my age, and we had pretty much grown up together. Because of that, they were my only friends besides Silas growing up. We were very close.

"If it means anything, I was adamantly against this," Jakob said.

"Oh, come on, Jakob!" Felicia huffed. "We all can use a little fun every now and then! Right, Flora?"

"Perhaps," Flora agreed. "But a surprise party seems a bit… childish."

"I don't mind," I said. "I mean, now that the surprise is over."

That got all three of them to laugh. Then I moved onto my two friends.

"You!" I exclaimed, pointing right at Silas. "You were in on this, weren't you?"

He laughed. "Maybe, maybe not."

"You so _were_!" I crossed my arms over my chest. "Your acting skills are on par with _Charlotte's_."

"Hey, I wouldn't go _that_ far."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Charlotte demanded. "I'm not acting. I'm simply playing a part."

"...Charlotte, that's exactly what acting is."

"Whose side are you on?!"

Don't get me wrong, I love Charlotte and she's my friend and all… but her gold digging ways are… something else. I met her at college freshman year. She came from a lower class family, and wanted to marry someone richer to get better standings in life, mostly to help support her family. I admired her for that, but her methods were… a bit unorthodox. My brother Xander had been a target when we first met, and I guess he still was a target in a way. Charlotte was beautiful, though, with her long, wavy golden blonde hair and pale blue eyes, and a _lot_ of boys had fallen for her femme fatale ways. She was wearing a sparkly white tank top cut low to show a lot of cleavage, very short jean shorts, and flip flops.

"Cheer up, Charlotte," Silas chuckled. "Most actors would be jealous of your skill."

She glared at him, and reached out to punch him in the shoulder hard enough to make him side step.

"Yowch! I forgot how hard you hit…"

I let out a nervous laugh. "Come on, you two… It's my birthday! Can you at least try to get along?"

Charlotte huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I _suppose_ I could try… but only because _you_ asked."

"I wasn't doing it on _purpose_ …" Silas mumbled. "But yeah."

After a few more words were exchanged, I moved on once more to greet the only people left waiting for me—my parents. As soon as I approached them, Mother gave me a warm smile.

"Hello, dear," she said. "I hope you enjoy the party we threw for you."

"Thank you, Mother," I replied with a smile. "I really appreciate it. I can't believe I actually forgot, though…"

Father chuckled. "Your head has been in the clouds lately, child. You've been pushing yourself too hard with your studies. You need this break."

I grimaced. "Yeah, I know…"

My adoptive parents were named Garon and Katerina Nohr. They both came from high class families, but unlike stereotypical rich people, they give back to the community. Father was the CEO of Nohr Electronics, and Mother was a fashion designer with her own line. Both frequently donated time and money to charities. Father had graying hair and a bald spot, but still kept a neatly trimmed beard. Mother wore her curly blonde hair in a short, elegant bob, and her blue eyes were always twinkly.

"Don't worry about these things now," Mother said gently. "We want you to have some fun."

I managed a smile. "I'll try, Mother. I'm just a bit tired today."

"We've noticed," Father chuckled.

"But… thank you for the party." I gave them each a hug in thanks. "I'm going to rejoin everyone now, if that's all right."

"Of course, dear," Mother said. "Go on ahead. This is your twentieth birthday. It's meant to be spent with your friends, not your crusty old parents."

"You're not crusty!" I protested, which earned me a laugh from both of them.

"Go on, Kamui," Father said. "You deserve this."

I smiled again, and nodded, before turning around to go rejoin the others. Today had been _crazy_ , but… my friends and family were together again. There was no way I wouldn't enjoy this!


	2. A Song of Birthrights and Love

"Big Sis? We're here, y'know."

"Um… yeah, I know."

"Then why are we still sitting in the car?"

"B-Because… I need a minute."

A week had passed since my birthday, and finding out the name and address of my birth mother. I hadn't seen Aqua since that day, and every time I tried texting her, I chickened out. Silas kept on teasing me about the 'mystery girl' I had told my friends about. Only Charlotte seemed to be understanding… which was a first.

But right now… I was sitting in a car parked out in front of the Hoshido mansion. Why, you ask? Because this was the address given to me. This was the address of the place my birth mother lived. Mikoto Valla was now known as _Mikoto Hoshido_ , the wife of Sumeragi Hoshido. My birth mother was married to the rival of my adoptive family. What a coincidence, right?

I was so nervous about this, I had asked Elise to come with me. I hadn't told anyone else what we were doing… so we used the excuse that I was going to help Elise practice her driving. And I was regretting that one hundred percent right now. She had scared me so many times on the way here, I needed a moment to breathe.

Elise puffed out her cheeks. "My driving wasn't that bad, was it?"

...How could I answer that without being mean?

"Uh… well… it was…" I scrambled for the right word. "...Memorable."

That, of course, made her pout. "Just admit it! I was _terrible_!"

I fought the urge to groan. "Look, Elise… don't feel bad. Everyone sucks at driving first. Even me."

"Even _you_?" she asked skeptically.

"Yep." I nodded. "The first time I went driving, Camilla was with me. She told me to brake… but guess what I did? _I hit the gas pedal_. I've never heard Camilla ever raise her voice that loud at anyone _ever_ , before or after that."

Her eyes widened. "Whoa, really? Heehee, that's funny! Good thing I haven't done _that_."

"This isn't even your first drive, silly," I snorted, before looking out the window at the house. "...Okay. I'm ready to do this."

We both got out of the car, and slowly made our way down the sidewalk that led up to the front steps and the door. The mansion was elaborate in a different way than ours. It was just one floor, spread out like a ranch, but was designed in a Japanese architectural style. It was painted white, with a red roof with gold accents. But as we stopped in front of the door… I was hit by another wave of anxiety.

In a few moments, I would meet my blood related mother. In a few moments, all of my questions would be answered.

I took a deep breath to calm myself, and lifted my hand to ring the doorbell. Maybe a minute later, the door opened, revealing a boy.

"...Can I help you?"

The boy had to be around Leo's age, making him seventeen or so, but he was slightly shorter. He had light grayish brown hair pulled back in a high ponytail that was much longer than I expected to see on a guy, and brown eyes. He was wearing what looked like the clothes I had seen kids in archery club wearing in anime. But this boy… he had to be a Hoshido.

"Um, yes," I said. "I'm looking for Mikoto Hoshido."

The boy narrowed his eyes, like he was getting suspicious. "Who should I say is here to see her?"

"Um… Kamui."

He didn't say anything else. He just disappeared back into the house. And as soon as he was gone, my little sister turned to me.

"Wow, he's really cute!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

I fought the urge to slap my forehead. "Elise… He's a Hoshido."

"So? The rivalry is so _stupid_!"

...Well, she did have a point there.

But then, the door opened… and out stepped a woman. I had been preparing for this moment, but as soon as I saw her, it was like the world froze.

Mikoto… my birth mother… was beautiful. She had long, pure black hair pulled back in a slightly messy high ponytail, with her bangs flipping up at the edges, and warm brown eyes. She appeared to be in her late thirties, early forties, much younger than I expected. She was wearing a loose white peasant top, and a pair of mom jeans, and seemed to be slightly overweight.

"Kamui?"

"Um… yes." I was still in shock, and words were struggling to come out. "I'm sorry, but I don't think there's any other way to say this… I'm… I'm your daughter."

Mikoto smiled warmly. "I know. There is only one Kamui that would come looking for me. I am so happy to see you… You've grown into such a beautiful young woman."

"Wow, you're really nice!" Elise exclaimed. "And so pretty! Yep, you're definitely Kamui's mama!"

Mikoto chuckled. "Why, thank you. Who is this, Kamui?"

"Elise, one of my adoptive siblings," I introduced. "I asked her to come with me to see you. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," she reassured me. "Now, why don't you come inside? There is so much I need to tell you."

She gestured for us to step inside, and we did. She shut the door behind us, before taking the lead. The Hoshido mansion was so different from home. It was more like… a regular house. There were decorations on the walls—scrolls depicting dragons and tigers, traditional Japanese paintings, and so on. We stepped into a large circular room that I guessed was the living room, decked out in simple white modern furniture. There was a sunroof, and a glass doors leading out to a vast backyard. I could see a pool from here.

"Mom? What's going on?"

The boy was in here, and so was a girl around Elise's age. She had light reddish pink hair in an angled bob, and her eyes were the same color. She was taller, and not as scrawny as my sister, though. She was wearing a short sleeved white and red mini dress, white thigh high socks, and red flats.

"Oh, Sakura… and Takumi, too. I didn't realize you were still in here." She smiled at them. "I have someone I need to introduce you to." She gestured to me. "This is my daughter, Kamui, and her adoptive sister Elise."

"Hello," I said, still feeling very nervous.

"Hi!" Elise exclaimed, chipper as ever.

"Kamui, these are two of my stepchildren," Mikoto continued, looking towards me. "Takumi and Sakura."

"Oh!" A smile lit up Sakura's face. "It's, um, nice to meet you. I've always wondered if we'd ever get the chance to meet each other…"

Takumi, however, didn't seem too pleased, with that scowl on his face. "Hmph. You look like a Nohr to me."

Elise puffed out her cheeks. "That's 'cause we _are_ Nohrs!"

Again, I fought the urge to slap my forehead. Dammit, Elise, it was going _so_ well until you had to say that we were members of the rival family…

"Oh?" Mikoto seemed mildly surprised. "I knew the Nohrs had adopted children, but I never considered one of them could have been you… Ah, well, perhaps this is a good opportunity to get that ridiculous rivalry to end."

"Ridiculous? Mom, they're the enemy!" Takumi protested.

Elise pouted. "You're making it sound like we're at war."

"We might as well be at war," he stated adamantly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Takumi…" Sakura took a step closer to him, and promptly smacked him on the arm. "S-Stop being so rude…!"

"Yeah, Takumi, stop being so rude!" Elise huffed, also crossing her arms over her chest.

"Ugh! Girls!" And without another word, he stormed out of the room, disappearing down a hallway.

"Um… I apologize for my brother," Sakura said awkwardly. "He can be really hot blooded."

Mikoto chuckled. "He's at that age… Sakura, would you mind taking Elise somewhere for a bit? I need to speak to Kamui in private."

"Oh, um, of course," she said, nodding.

"Oooh, can I have a tour?" Elise asked. "Your house is so cool!"

Sakura smiled shyly. "S-Sure."

I watched the two of them disappear down the hallway as well, before returning my attention to my mother. She smiled at me again, and gestured for us to sit down on one of the couches. I followed her over, and sat down next to her. I still felt pretty overwhelmed, and couldn't really find my voice.

"...I know you have a lot of questions," Mikoto said quietly, breaking the silence. "And the biggest one is… why did I give you up?"

Yeah… that had been bothering me for the past two years of my life.

Mikoto sighed heavily, closing her eyes. "I didn't want to do it. Words cannot describe how much I wanted to keep you, my precious baby girl. But… I could not raise you."

"...What do you mean?" I asked in confusion.

She reopened her eyes, but her gaze landed on her hands resting on her lap. "I… was in a bad situation. It wasn't safe for me… much less a child. I would never be able to live with myself if I kept you, because it would put you in danger. I wanted you to grow up safe and happy."

I… was still pretty confused. What exactly was that supposed to mean? She was in a dangerous situation? Was it… because of my father? His name wasn't on my birth certificate… I had a feeling I didn't want to know.

"There were times I regretted my choice once I was free of that situation," she sighed. "But my living conditions were not stable for a while, and that is also not a good life for a child. I regret not be able to get to know you, but not the decision I made for your wellbeing. I hope you can understand… and not hate me for it."

"Mikoto, I—I mean, Mo…"

She smiled sadly. "Kamui, you don't have to call me Mother if it makes you uncomfortable. I understand."

Ugh… She was just so… _nice_. It made me feel bad for being unable to call her what she was. I felt that she deserved it, yet… I couldn't say it. And her _stepchildren_ even called her their mom… Some daughter I was.

"Okay…" I fought the urge to sigh. "I was going to say… I could never hate you."

Mikoto's smile warmed. "It makes me so happy to hear that."

But before anything else could be said, someone else entered the room. It was a man probably around my adoptive father's age, placing him in his mid fifties or so. He had long dark brown hair streaked with white, along his temples, tanned skin, dark eyes, and a thin mustache and short, pointed beard also streaked with white. He was dressed in a sleek black business suit, with a red tie.

"Honey, I'm ho—oh, I didn't know we had a guest."

Mikoto slowly heaved herself up from the couch. "You have perfect timing, dear. My daughter, Kamui, has come back to me." She turned to look at me. "Kamui, this is my husband, Sumeragi."

"Um, hello, sir," I said, feeling very, very, _very_ nervous as I stood up as well.

For a moment, Sumeragi didn't say anything. He was silent, like the wheels inside his brain were turning. And that didn't make me feel any better. What if he didn't like me? I mean, not including the whole _I-was-adopted-by-Nohrs_ thing, I was the child of another man… I was proof that Mikoto loved someone else before him (or at least I _assumed_ that was how I came to be).

But then a big grin split across his face, and he held out his arms. "Welcome to my abode, Kamui! I am honored to finally meet you! C'mere, gimme a big hug!"

I froze, my eyes widening in shock. Wh-What?

But Hoshido wasn't taking an answer, and stepped up to me before enveloping me in a bear hug. Feeling incredibly awkward, but relieved nonetheless, I returned the embrace.

"Th-Thank you, Mr. Hoshido."

He let me go, taking a step back. "Please, call me Sumeragi! There's no need to be so formal. You're just as much a part of the family as Mikoto is."

Wow… I really hadn't been expecting him to be _that_ friendly. What a relief.

Mikoto chuckled warmly. "She came with her adoptive sister Elise, who is currently with Sakura."

"Elise?" Familiarity flickered in his eyes. "Isn't that the name of Garon's little girl?"

"Um, yes…" _Time for more anxiety._ "Garon and Katerina Nohr are my adoptive parents."

"Ah… Ah, I see! That makes a lot of sense, actually." Sumeragi still kept that jolly grin on his face. "Regardless, you are always welcome here—your siblings included, if you wish to bring them."

"Daddy, you're home!"

We were interrupted by a Sakura blur darting across the room to give her father a big hug. And at that same moment, Elise materialized at my side, still looking bright and happy. To further support that, she gave me a smile and playfully poked me in the side.

Sumeragi chuckled, giving his youngest daughter a squeeze. "And how is my little blossom today?"

Sakura pulled back to give him a smile. "Wonderful! I've made a new friend in Elise. Did you know that she plays the violin? We were talking about music earlier."

Elise giggled. "I think it's really neat that you play the koto, too!"

"...Ugh. You're seriously getting all chummy with a Nohr?"

I looked over to see that Takumi had come out of hiding. He was now dressed in regular clothes—a blue button up shirt and jeans. I noted Elise's face lighting up when she saw him, only to sour due to his comment.

"Hey, that's not nice!" she huffed, putting her hands on her hips. "My feelings are seriously hurt! You owe me a biiiiig apology, Takumi!"

Mikoto sighed in exasperation. "Takumi, dear, you take this rivalry business way too seriously…"

"Now Son," Sumeragi began sternly, "this is a rivalry between businesses, not countries, like in those war strategy video games of yours."

"I know! I'm not _stupid_." Takumi crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm just saying… I wouldn't put it past Garon Nohr to take advantage of this to spy on us."

Sakura let out a nervous laugh. "Please don't mind Takumi… he's just worn out from all the archery practice he does."

That seemed to make Sumeragi's face light up. "My boy here is a master archer! He's been practicing since he was a little toddler!"

Takumi's eyes widened with horror. "Dad, no. Not in front of _them_!"

"We have a whole room full of his trophies," Sumeragi continued, clearly not about to be stopped. "He's beaten records—too many to even list. You should see him at target practice! Takumi just gets in the _zone_! There's no stopping him!"

"DAD!" Takumi shouted, desperately trying to hide his distress.

"Really?" I asked, purposefully sounding impressed. "You sound pretty cool, Takumi."

"Pretty _amazing_!" Elise added with a giggle.

But our comments made Takumi's cheeks flush and he pressed his hand to his face, like he was trying to hide it. "S-Shut up… I don't care what you think!"

Huh… It sure _sounded_ like he cared. Maybe Takumi wasn't so bad after all. Maybe he was just a big softie under the tough act he was trying to pull. I hoped so, at least for Elise's sake, because she already seemed to be crushing on him pretty hard.

Suddenly, my phone went off, prompting me to pull it out of my purse. It was an alarm reminding me that I still had to proofread and revise a paper that was due tonight at midnight. I fought the urge to groan, and looked back up at everyone.

"I'm sorry, but we have to go-"

"We do?!" Elise demanded with distress.

I winced. "Yes… I still have to finish up something for one of my classes."

"Awwww…" She pouted. "Okay…"

"Before you go, I have a proposal," Sumeragi said. "Next weekend, we're throwing a ball of sorts at the Jinya Center. You and your family should come. It would be a good opportunity for us all to get together, despite our… differences."

"A ball?" Elise gasped, eyes wide with interest. "I'm gonna call Daddy right now!"

My eyes widened. "Elise, no, he might be-"

But it was too late. She had already dialed the number and was waiting for him to answer. I swear to the gods, that girl was going to be the death of me… She was lucky she was the baby of the family. She got away with so much. She wasn't a bad kid at all, but still.

"Hi, Daddy, it's Elise! I have a question to ask you~"

I steeled myself for Father's reaction to this. Regardless whether it was pretty or not, it was going to be _huge_. Dusk Dragon help me…

"Okay, so Kamui's birth mom is married to Sumeragi Hoshido and we got invited to go to the ball they're hosting this weekend! Can we go? Pretty please with sugar on top?"

I literally could hear his response over the phone. " _WHAT?!"_

...I was _not_ going to hear the end of this…


	3. Dancing With Fate

This was not going to end well.

My parents had agreed to attend the ball, but not after Father all but blew a gasket. He wasn't happy that my birth mother was married to the family's rival, but… there was nothing we could do about it. Mother took us all out shopping for new dresses for the ball. It was nice getting a chance to spend time with her and my sisters, but I was secretly dreading the ball.

But today was the fated day.

"Stop fussing, dear! You look lovely."

I had spent the past couple of hours just getting ready for this ball. Mother had just come into the bathroom as I was trying to fix my hair. She stopped next to me, and brushed my long white hair behind my back. The dress I had picked for the ball was black and purple, as those were the family colors. It was mostly black, save for the violet halter that served as the collar.

"Everything is going to be fine," she reassured me. "I had a talk with your father, and he said he has no intentions of being rude to the Hoshidos."

"Okay." I sighed, looking at myself in the mirror. "I'm just really nervous, Mother."

"I understand, dear," she said gently. "But getting yourself all worked up isn't going to make anything easier."

She was right, of course. I just needed to take a deep breath and try to calm down. I was probably blowing this out of proportion. I mean, they were only so many ways things could go horribly wrong… right?

I took a breath. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"There is no need to apologize," she chuckled. "Now come, it's almost time to leave for the Jinya Center."

I nodded, took one last look at myself in the mirror, and then followed Mother out of the bathroom to meet up with the rest of the family.

* * *

"Wow, this is the Jinya Center?! It's huge!" Elise gasped as she stared out the window of our limousine.

The Jinya Center was at the far east side of Dragonfall Heights, and was basically a place people could rent for ridiculously high prices to hold events, from fundraisers to ballroom style dance parties. Cars had to pull up alongside the curb, and guests were getting out to walk down the red carpet leading to the front doors, where cameras from news reporters were flashing brightly. I guess this was a pretty big deal… The Nohr family willingly attending a party held by the Hoshido family was considered historic in our city.

"Naturally," Leo said. "At least the Hoshidos have class."

"Now children, remember to be on your best behavior," Mother said as the limo pulled up by the side of the curb. "We want to make a good impression for Kamui's sake."

Father cleared his throat as Gunter opened the door for him. "Let me add that any misbehavior will be dealt with accordingly."

Yikes… Friendly reminder not to make Father angry anyone?

Father got out, followed by Mother, then Xander, Camilla, me, Leo, and Elise. The cameras started flashing again, making me squint a little. The sun was setting, so the bright light was a stark contrast to the darkening sky. Elise let out an excited giggle as we started walking down the red carpet, making our way to the entrance.

But I didn't really expect the front doors to open, or for Mikoto to step outside. She was looking radiant in a flowing white gown, with her long, dark hair down. The cameras turned on her, and she smiled gently, waving a little at the reporters before walking down to meet us.

"Welcome!" she greeted warmly. "You must be Garon and Katerina Nohr. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I am Mikoto Hoshido."

While Father remained stiff, Mother gave Mikoto a warm smile of her own. "No, the pleasure is all ours! Thank you for inviting us here today."

An introduction of my siblings that Mikoto had not met yet was made, and Mikoto gestured for us all to head inside. I took that as a sign that I should step forward, closer to her, and she smiled softly at me, holding out her hand. I felt an uncertain pang in my heart… I wanted so badly to call her my mother but it was still so _hard_. But maybe… this was the first step. I reached out to take her hand.

"MIKOTO?!"

An unfamiliar voice rang out, and Mikoto's eyes widened in shock. Dropping her hand, she took a step back. A ragged looking man with long blue hair pushed his way through the reporters, stumbling onto the red carpet. There were gasps all around us, but I wasn't sure why exactly—his disheveled appearance, his calling to my birth mother, or the fact that he had sharply pointed ears?

"Mikoto," the strange man said again, his face lighting up like he was so relieved to see her. "I finally found you! After all these years!"

"Anankos…" Mikoto squeezed her eyes shut. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, of course," he said, either not noticing that she obviously did not want to see him, or just ignoring it. "It's been two decades."

Two… decades? Twenty… years…

My eyes widened. "...Oh my gods."

His crazed gaze darted to me. "You…"

"Kamui. Go inside." Mikoto's voice was so sharp and commanding I was caught off guard.

"I believe we should _all_ go inside," Father stated with narrowed eyes. "Come along, children."

No one questioned him, and we all quickly filed inside. I found myself looking around in awe of even the hallway. The entire floor was covered in red carpet, and expensive looking, elaborate paintings depicting battles in some sort of war lined the walls. Mikoto took the lead, showing us down the hall. But now she seemed tense, like she had been forced to relive bad memories.

"The main hall is through these doors," Mikoto explained, gesturing to a set of double doors that were propped open, with two guards standing on each side. "It's where events are held. For today, we've transformed it into a ballroom."

We followed her through the doors, and I found myself staring at everything in awe again. The hall was decorated in an oriental style, from the banners that hung from the ceiling, to the table cloths covering the round tables where I assumed guests would be eating dinner. The wooden floor gleamed like it had been polished a million times. All the decorations were in red and white, which was making me guess that those were the Hoshido family's colors, like how the Nohrs had black and purple. A small orchestral band was set up in the back, gently playing background music. More tables, these ones being rectangular, were loaded with all sorts of dishes. They looked like Japanese cuisine—I spotted a table completely dedicated to sushi. It made sense. I mean, the Hoshidos were descended from a Japanese family.

"Wow!" Elise gasped in wonder. "This place is amazing!"

"It's quite impressive," Leo agreed.

Mikoto smiled warmly, like what happened earlier was truly in the past. "I'm glad you like it."

"The decorations are quite lovely," Mother commented. "So the rumors that the Hoshidos throw wonderful parties are true!"

"It would appear so," Father said, still looking a bit stiff and not very comfortable with being here.

Mikoto continued to smile. "Come, let me introduce you to my husband. He should be around here somewhere."

We followed her as she led us further into the ballroom. There were so many people here, I wondered just how many were invited. All the men were dressed in tuxedos, and the women had beautiful, elaborate dresses. It was typical for an upper class event, but I was so used to going to college and seeing people dressed in comfortable, relaxing clothes that it was a bit shocking. I had forgotten how fancy clothes could be.

Mikoto took us to the largest table in the entire room, which was near the very back, right in front of a small stage. It wasn't circular like the others, being rectangular instead. And sitting at that table was none other than Sumeragi, along with Takumi, Sakura, three people I didn't recognize, and…

"AQUA?!"

It was Aqua all right; I'd recognize her _anywhere_. She had her insanely long pale blue hair down like before, but with gold bands around grouped strands. She was wearing a gorgeous strapless white dress that had snow blue accents. Her gold eyes widened as she saw me.

"Kamui?!"

Everyone looked surprised that we seemed to know each other. But Elise was the only one who just had to say something.

"Hey, is that the pretty girl you—MMPH!"

I quickly reached down and clamped my hand over her mouth so she couldn't say anything more. Gods, of all things to say… I let out a nervous laugh and gave an awkward smile. _Dammit Elise_.

"Hahaha, don't mind Elise," I said, trying to hide my embarrassment and not doing so well.

My little sister wiggled out of my grip, and crossed her arms over her chest in a huff. "HMPH!"

"Oh, you two have met?" Mikoto asked with mild surprise.

"Um, yeah," I answered, straightening up. "The college she transferred to is the one I attend."

"Ah, that's wonderful." Mikoto smiled. "Even though you already know each other, let me make proper introductions. Kamui, this is my niece, Aqua. Aqua, this is my daughter, Kamui. Aqua has been living with us since… since her mother died."

...Niece?

_NIECE?!_

That meant… we were _cousins_. We were related. This totally was _not_ awkward at all. Gods… I was _so_ weirded out right now. I was guessing that her mother was my mother's sister, then, judging by her reaction… I felt a pit sink into my stomach.

But Aqua just laughed softly. "Aunt Mikoto, I think you forgot to mention that we're not actually blood related."

"Huh?" I was very much confused at this point.

Mikoto chuckled. "Ah, yes, your mother and I were best friends. But we considered each other sisters. And legally, I am your godmother."

...Oh. I almost let out a sigh of relief. So Aqua and I _weren't_ cousins. _Phew_. The last thing I needed in my life right now was dealing with incestuous attraction. I knew some cultures didn't care about that—like Japan, for instance—but I had been raised by a family of European descent. Plus I was pretty sure it was illegal to marry your cousin here. Hell, same sex marriage had only became legal earlier this year.

Aqua nodded, before looking at me. "I knew you looked familiar when we met. It's good to see you again, Kamui."

I managed to smile. "It's nice to see you again, too."

Mikoto smiled happily. "Why don't we all sit down? There should be place mats with your names."

In a few moments, we all had found our seats at the table. We all ended up sitting opposite the person in the same position in the Hoshdio family. Father was at the end of the table, sitting directly across from Sumeragi, who was all the way on the other end. Mother sat next to him, and across from her, on the left side of the table, was Mikoto. Next to her was Xander, and the oldest Hoshido, Ryoma, sat across from him. Then there was Camilla, and across from her was the second oldest Hoshido, Hinoka. I was next, with Aqua across from me. Leo sat next to me, and Takumi was across from him. Elise was on his other side, with Sakura across from her. And last but not least was the Hoshidos' old family friend Yukimura, sitting next to my youngest stepsister. Apparently Father's friend and advisor Iago was also due to join us later.

Ryoma was around Xander's age, making him twenty-four or so. He had long dark brown hair—and I mean long as in _going all the way down his back_ long—and gray eyes. He was dressed in a black suit, with a red dress shirt and a loosely fitting black tie.

Hinoka was around Camilla's age, making her around twenty-one. She wore her bright crimson hair short, but cute style, and her eyes were chestnut brown. She was wearing a sleeveless red dress that went well with her hair. She was beautiful in a different way than my older sister; not fitting society's standards of beauty didn't mean she wasn't pretty in her own way.

"I'm glad you decided to join us," Sumeragi said. "You must be thrilled to have your entire family in one place, Kamui."

I managed a smile, although a bit strained one. "That's… one way to put it."

"I know I'm happy!" Elise exclaimed cheerfully. "I get to spend more time with my new friends Sakura and Takumi!"

"Hey, watch it," Takumi retorted. "I'm not your friend."

There were gasps all around us, but before anyone else could react to his rude statement…

"Takumi! Stop being so rude!" Sakura promptly smacked him with her chopsticks.

"Yeah, stop being so rude, Takumi!" Elise huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "You better be nice to me, or my daddy will _so_ beat up your dad."

"...Excuse me?" Takumi looked at her like she had just challenged him. "My dad is skilled in the art of _kenjutstu_. You're mistaken if you think your dad can take on mine."

"Ken...whatsits?" Elise blinked in confusion before continuing on. "Well, whatever that is, my daddy was a general in the army and got a medal of honor in the war! He's super tough, so there's _no way_ your dad can beat him."

…Was this seriously happening? Were my adoptive sister and stepbrother arguing over which of our fathers could beat up the other?

Yes. Yes, it was.

"Hmph." Takumi was not impressed. "My dad was also a decorated general in the military during the last war. It's an honor held by all Hoshido men. Of course, I doubt you Nohrs know much of honor."

"...What did you just say?" Leo asked icily. "I think _you're_ the one who is clearly mistaken. Any Hoshido able to rise to such high ranks must have used trickery, because there is no way your brains are big enough to handle such difficult tasks."

"Are you calling us stupid?!" Ryoma demanded.

"Oh?" Camilla smiled with amusement. "If you have to ask… there's your answer."

And that's when the entire table erupted into chaos. My siblings and stepsiblings started arguing, while the adults tried to get everyone to calm down. Xander was trying to stop Camilla from getting rises out of Ryoma and Hinoka. Sakura looked like she was on the verge of tears from everyone's fighting, a stark contrast to how Elise was ganging up on Takumi with Leo. Aqua and I seemed to be the only ones not saying a word during this whole explosion.

But as it got louder and louder, their words seemed to get rumbled up, mixing with a pounding roar inside my head. My bones started burning with my anger and frustration, and the next thing I knew, I was pushing back my chair, and jerking up from my seat. My hands slammed down onto the table, rattling the empty dishes and making everyone freeze.

"Just STOP already!"

Everyone stared at me with wide, shocked eyes. Even some people at other tables had stopped to stare. But I was done caring at this point. Getting upset always made my body hurt for some reason, and that just made feeling bad even worse

"I didn't get you all together just for you to fight like this!" I snapped, still feeling very pissed and frustrated. "Gods, I just wanted you to try to get along, but no, you can't even do that!"

I was so angry, my vision was starting to be tinted with red. I couldn't bear to stay here any longer, so I decided to just walk away. I rushed through the ballroom, finding a secluded hallway to slip down. I found it led to a large open air patio behind the main hall. I stepped out into the fresh evening air, which felt cool against my feverish skin.

Sighing, I walked over to the railing to look out at the main city in the distance. The Jinya Center was positioned on the highest hill in Dragonfall Heights, which overlooked the city. The sun was setting, casting soft pink and purple hues everywhere. It was a beautiful, peaceful sight.

"Kamui?"

I jerked, looking over to see that Aqua had followed me. "Oh, hi, Aqua."

She walked closer, moving to stand next to me. "Are you okay?"

Well, so much for small talk… I figured she had come after me to make sure I was all right. Sighing heavily, I looked out at the city again. If only I could be out there, and not here. I knew this had been a bad idea, but I never realized it would be _this_ bad.

"I don't know… I just… got so _angry_ , seeing everyone being so awful to each other… This wasn't what I wanted… at _all._ "

"...I understand. It wasn't pleasant to watch either, and I am not familiar with your adoptive family."

My hands involuntarily clenched into fists. "I knew this wasn't going to be easy, but… is it really too much to ask? For both sides of my family to get along?"

"I know it's discouraging, but you can't give up." Aqua's voice's sudden firmness made me look over at her. "This is your dream, isn't it? To bring all of your family together? Give them time, Kamui. They've only just met."

...She was right, of course. Everything she said made logical sense. I barely knew this girl, but her words were soothing. I felt like I could trust her—rely on her, even. Maybe it was wishful thinking… but I felt close to her already.

"...You're right," I sighed. "We all need time… I'm still not sure how to act around Mikoto."

"It's understandable," Aqua said gently. "I suppose if you have any questions about her, I can answer what I can."

Questions, huh? I had way too many.

"Were our mothers really best friends?" I asked.

Aqua smiled sadly. "Yes… My mother, Shenmei, and Mikoto grew up in an orphanage together. That's why they considered each other sisters. I'm sorry for that confusion."

Well, that cleared it up better… So Mikoto didn't have parents… which meant I had no blood grandparents—on my mother's side, at least. I really wondered who my father was… I also was wondering who that strange man who called to Mikoto outside of the center was. I had nagging suspicions, but…

"What about my father?" I asked. "Do you know anything about him?"

Immediately, Aqua stiffened. "No, I'm afraid I don't."

Why… did I have the faintest of feelings… that she was lying?

"All right…" I looked up at the sky again, which had gotten a bit darker. "That's all I have, really."

I could faintly hear the orchestral music in the background get louder, like it was time to start dancing or something. Just thinking about dancing made me feel worse. I had a bad history with dances. I had never been asked to one during my middle school and high school years, and all the social events with my family had stuffy rich people shoving their sons at me to 'fix' me back to being heterosexual. Ugh.

"Ah, it looks like a dance is starting," I heard Aqua say, changing the subject. "Why don't we go join everyone?"

I made a face, guessing she meant go find partners to dance with. "No thanks. Dancing with guys isn't very appealing to me."

"Hm? I meant for the two of us to dance together."

...Wait, did I hear her right? Did she really just say… I turned back around to face her again, only to see her just smile at me gently.

"You don't have a problem with that, do you?" she asked.

"M-Me?" I pointed to myself, still mildly shock. "No way. I-I mean… it would be weird if I did… being not straight and all. U-Um—gods, did I just say that out loud?"

Aqua giggled softly. "There's no need to worry. I'm not straight either. We're in the same boat, for the most part."

Was this… really my lucky chance? Had I finally found a girl who had the potential to like me? I had never had a girlfriend before… or even gone on a date. The only time I'd ever kissed someone was when Charlotte kissed me when she got really drunk that one time. Of course, Aqua could just be suggesting this to get my mind off things, but…

"Well?" Aqua asked. "Do you want to dance?"

"U-Um…" I could feel my cheeks blazing as hot as the seven hells. "...Sure. I… I would love to."

Her smile brightened. "Great!" She held out her hand to me. "Let's go."

For a moment, all I could do was stare at her hand. But then I forced myself to reach out and take it. Her skin was smooth and soft, but cool. I let her pull me back into the ballroom. As the music got louder, I could tell a fast paced waltz was playing. When we stepped back into the hall, I saw couples twirling all around the dance floor. I even spotted Elise dancing with Xander. That sight got me to smile a little.

I knew that two girls dancing together at a big event such as this could cause quite the stir… but I didn't care. I put my free hand on Aqua's shoulder, and she put hers on my waist. And with that, we joined in on the dancing.

Even if the two sides of my family didn't get along… at least I had a friend in Aqua.

* * *

After the dance had ended, we both decided to go get some food. We filled up our plates with food, and I noted that Aqua picked mostly Japanese dishes, like sushi. I chose a variety, because it all looked good—grilled chicken, corn, mashed potatoes, _chahan_ , a couple of _onigiri_ , and some _mochi_ for dessert. I was really hungry, okay?

When we returned to the table, Father and Sumeragi were gone, as were all my younger siblings, leaving Mother, Mikoto, Xander, Camilla, Ryoma, and Hinoka. Everything seemed to have return to civility, much to my relief.

"Ah, welcome back," Mother greeted me, smiling warmly. "I see you're feeling better."

I knew exactly what she was talking about; the huge pile of food on my plate. I smiled sheepishly as I sat back down in my seat next to Camilla.

"Haha, yeah, I guess."

"Now where were we… Oh yes, hobbies." Mother looked across the table. "What do you like to do, Hinoka?"

"Well, I compete in equestrian competitions," Hinoka answered. "I've been riding since I was a toddler."

Mikoto smiled. "Yes, she is quite talented. Even the pegasi love her."

Oh, that sounded familiar. Now that I thought about it, I remembered that Hinoka Hoshido was a famous equestrian. She competed in all sorts of English events, from show jumping to cross country. And she'd been working with the same horse since when she first started, though it was probably due to retire soon after all these years.

"Oh, how wonderful! Xander loves horseback riding as well." Mother looked over at him. "Though I don't believe you've had time lately, with how busy you've been."

"Yes, work has kept me busy," Xander said.

"I know the feeling," Ryoma grumbled.

"I just had the most brilliant idea," Mother mused. "Why don't the two of you go horseback riding some time?"

"Oh my, you know what they say." A mischievous smile formed on Camilla's lips. "Save a horse, ride a cowboy."

...Oh my _gods_.

That was a typical Camilla thing to say, and because of that, my family didn't really have a reaction. We were used to it, though Xander looked a bit flabbergasted. But the Hoshidos, on the other hand… Mikoto's eyes widened in surprise. Ryoma looked scandalized. Hinoka's face turned as red as her hair. And Aqua choked a little on the sushi she was eating.

"Camilla, I highly doubt Pieri would appreciate you saying such inappropriate things," Xander sighed heavily.

"Oh, what Pieri doesn't know won't hurt her," Camilla laughed.

Pieri was Xander's fiancée. It was an arranged engagement, and she belonged to another rich upper class family. They had been engaged for a long time—since they were thirteen, to be exact. I personally was not too fond of Pieri. I found her… eccentric. How Xander was able to tolerate her, I had no idea. But I knew one thing: there was no love in their relationship.

"Do you have no couth?!" Ryoma demanded, still looking very much scandalized.

Camilla just continued to smile. "Darling, there's no need to be so _uptight_. We're all adults here."

"D-Don't call me that!" he retorted defensively. "And for the record, I have a girlfriend!"

"How disappointing…" Camilla leaned back in her seat, and began to spin her fork around some pasta. "I haven't had a girlfriend in a while."

I pressed a hand over my eyes. Gods, why did my big sister have to be so embarrassing sometimes? I knew she was openly bisexual, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was her tendency to make inappropriate comments. This first impression was going more horribly than I ever imagined.

"Camilla, dear…" Mother's voice was a bit strained. "I think that's enough."

"Sorry, Mother. I'll behave now."

I lowered my hand, and fought the urge to sigh. I decided to start eating again. Everyone else seemed to do the same thing. I was surprised Hinoka was being so quiet; she didn't seem like a quiet person. Though my sister's words probably made her super uncomfortable, so it was understandable if she was quiet for that reason. I didn't blame her at all.

Mother cleared her throat. "Aqua, do you have any hobbies?"

"Oh, well, I…" She was clearly caught off guard by the way her voice trailed off. "I love music. I'm a part of a dance team."

My eyes widened. "Whoa, really? That's pretty cool."

"Aqua also has an amazing singing voice," Mikoto added with a smile. "She has the lead role in the musical that the Notre Sagesse Theatre is holding this year."

My eyes widened even more. "Whoa, Aqua! That's really awesome!"

But instead of smiling, she winced. "Yes, well… the musical— _A Song of Silence and Blood_ —may not continue. My co-lead… passed away a few weeks ago."

"Oh my goodness… That wasn't in the news," Mother said with concern. "I'm so sorry to hear that."

Xander frowned. "Isn't that musical the oral adaptation of the Legend of Yato? I read somewhere that it's cursed."

Aqua grimaced. "Yes… It wasn't always a musical, but was adapted in recent years. I never believed in the curse, nor do I believe the death was caused by it."

But… a cursed musical… a death of one of the actors… That couldn't just be a coincidence, right? Or maybe I was just reading too many horror novels… There was no way stuff like curses and ghosts were real. No way… at _all_ …

I focused on finishing my dinner, so I would have time to track down my other siblings, wherever they had gone off to.

* * *

After eating, I wandered away from the table to see if I could find my younger siblings. I ended up passing Father and Sumeragi having some sort of discussion, but I didn't stick around to see what they were talking about. It probably was boring or unimportant to me anyways. I was surprised, though, to find all four of my siblings together.

"Big Sis!" Elise launched herself at me to glomp me in a hug. "Takumi is being a jerk!" She pouted. "He won't dance with me!"

"Hmph…" Takumi scowled.

"Why you even want to dance with that brute, I haven't the slightest idea," Leo stated.

"...What did you just call me?"

Sakura winced. "C-Can't we all just… get along?"

"Hey hey, she's right!" I said. "No fighting. Gods."

"I told you Takumi is being a big meanie face!" Elise huffed indignantly.

Sighing, I pressed my hand to my temple. "Okay, look—how about this: you dance with Elise _once_ , Takumi. It's not like it's going to kill you."

"YAY!" Elise cheered. "I knew Big Sis would be on my side!"

However, Takumi did not look too thrilled. "What? Are you crazy? Me, dance with a _Nohr_?"

"You act like the Hoshidos are something special," Leo deadpanned.

Takumi looked like he was about to blow a gasket or something, so I knew I needed to quickly step in before this got any worse. Gods, we were in public! Couldn't they at least _try_ to behave? Apparently not.

"Okay, then Leo, you can dance with Sakura," I said. "Seems fair, right?"

"... _What_?" He looked over at me like I had just betrayed him. "Ugh… fine. If it will get them both to shut up."

"Are you okay with that, Sakura?" I asked, turning towards her.

"Um… I-I guess…" She glanced down at the ground, shifting on her feet.

Ugh… I didn't want it to seem like I was forcing her. "You really don't have to do it if you don't want to."

She tried to give me a reassuring smile. "It's okay. I don't mind."

"All right then…" In that moment, the music switched to, not so conveniently, a slow song. I tried not to smile too smugly. "Well, you kids have fun!"

I skedaddled out of there before either of the boys could yell at me and accuse me of setting this up. When I reached the place where I had seen my adoptive father and stepfather speaking, I noticed that another man had joined them, who I immediately recognized as Chrom Ylisse, the head of Ylisse Agency, a private detective organization. His older sister, Emmeryn, was also the mayor of our city. But if he was here, that meant his family had to be here, too. I was friends with his daughters; well, mostly with his youngest, who was only a year younger than me. I looked around, wondering where they were.

"KAMUI!"

Cue the loud voice of one of them shouting my name and me turning towards it, only to see my friend trip over the hem of her skirt.

"WAAAH!"

I quickly stepped forward to grab her by the shoulders so she wouldn't fall. "Cynthia! Are you okay?"

She staggered back, regaining her balance, and reached up to rub the back of her hair in embarrassment. "Hahaha, yeah, thanks to you! I heard your family was gonna be here, but I thought it was just a rumor!"

Cynthia was eighteen years old, but would be turning nineteen next month. She had slightly wavy deep blue hair pulled up into two high pigtails, and brown eyes. For the ball, she was wearing a strapless blue dress with a short, poofy skirt, a contrast to the long, flowing skirts most women were wearing.

"Yeah, we're here," I laughed. "You see, Mikoto Hoshido is my birth mother."

"Whoaaaa!" Cynthia's eyes widened. "Now that you mention it, you do kinda look alike. Mrs. Hoshido is so nice, too! She's like, my mom's book friend. They share books with each other and stuff."

"Oh, that's cool," I said. "Have you ever gone riding with Hinoka before?"

Cynthia was an equestrian studies major at the university. She preferred working with pegasi, but since only the Ylisse and Hoshido families owned the winged horses in our area, she was content to work with horses. Her mother, Sumia, was a famous pegasus rider, and she wanted to follow in her footsteps, while her older sister continued the Ylisse family business.

She grinned and nodded. "Yup! Hinoka is really good! I admire her a lot! Actually, we're due to go trail riding soon. Sometimes Aqua goes with us, so maybe you and Xander could come along with us. Or Elise—I know she loves horses too."

"That would be awesome!" I nodded in agreement. "I'll have to ask. Elise might not have time, though. She's got orchestra and they always do a ton of stuff at the end of the school year."

"Oh, right…" Cynthia frowned a little in disappoint. "That's okay. We can always drag Xander with us. I haven't seen him in ages!"

I laughed, and nodded again. "Sounds like a plan, Cynth!"

She giggled, her grin returning. "Woohoo! This is gonna be a blast! I can't wait!"

Me either! I needed to find ways to get my two families to bond, and this was perfect—especially with Cynthia around to be a neutral party. I just hoped it would go this smoothly with my younger siblings, who seemed to be clashing more.

Well… only time would tell. And that's just what we needed—time.


	4. To Give Time

_I had survived._

A month had passed since the ball and the meeting of my two families. I had been busy with finals—which was what I had just survived—so I hadn't had much time to spend with anyone. But Elise had been hanging out a lot with Sakura; the two of them were the only ones who seemed to really get along. They did go to the same school together, so it was inevitable that they'd see each other. I just wished Leo would try to get along with Takumi.

I had pulled out my cell phone as I left the main building of the university, exiting for the last time until next fall. I had gotten a car as a late birthday present and as reward for finishing my second year of college, and since then I had been asked pick up my siblings from school, if my parents had conflicting schedules and Gunter couldn't come get them. Today was one of such days. But I saw that I had received a text message.

_From: Aqua Valla_

_How did your last final go?_

Despite the both of us being pretty busy, we had kept in touch more properly since the ball. I had finally been able to return her shirt. We had definitely become friends, but I personally was unsure if my feelings for her were strictly platonic. It was just easier if I didn't think too hard about it.

_From: Kamui Nohr_

_it was okay. better than i was expecting_

After sending that response, I headed to where I had parked my car. It was a silver BMW M4 convertible that my father had picked out himself. I threw my bag into the back, before unlocking it, opening the door, and plopping down inside on the plush red leather seating. My cell vibrated, and I checked it to see that Aqua had replied.

_From: Aqua Valla_

_I'm glad to hear that! I was thinking, to celebrate, we could go to that cafe I told you about._

I winced. I couldn't hang out today… No one would be at the house to watch Leo and Elise other than the servants, and, well, those two could not be trusted by themselves. Leo, maybe, but Elise? The last time we left them home alone, the fire department was called because of a small fire in the kitchen because Elise got the brilliant idea of learning how to bake from Felicia.

_From: Kamui Nohr_

_i'm sorry but i can't. i gotta watch the little brother and sister. maybe some other time?_

I checked the time after sending that. I still had a few minutes before I absolutely had to leave for the high school. I decided it would be better _and_ safer to just wait those minutes out here to finish my conversation with Aqua. My phone went off again, so I checked it.

_From: Aqua Valla_

_That's fine. If you're picking them up, perhaps you could get Takumi and Sakura as well? We could all hang out at our house. I'm supposed to pick them up today, but if you're coming over, you might as well bring them._

The thought of forcing my two brothers to spend time together was actually quite appealing. Besides, there was no way I was going to turn down a chance to hang out with Aqua.

_From: Kamui Nohr_

_you've got yourself a deal! i'll see you soon then_

I put away my phone then, and slipped my key into the ignition to turn on my car. The engine roared to life, and after I made sure I was buckled in, I pulled out of my parking spot and drove out out of the lot onto the road. Traffic seemed decent for this time in the afternoon, so it wouldn't take too long to get to Windmire.

About ten minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot of Windmire High School. Once I had found a spot to park, I pulled out my phone to shoot Elise a text about the change of plans and arrangement. And by the all caps response I got, I guessed she was super excited about it.

A few minutes later, I heard her own voice say, "I call shotgun!" Moments later, my little sister had plopped down in the passenger's seat next to me. "Hi, Big Sis!"

I laughed a bit. "Hi, Elise. Is everyone-"

"Yes," I heard the voice of Takumi say very curtly. "We're all here. Every. Single. One of us."

I glanced back to see that they all had gotten in the back. Poor Sakura was sitting in the middle between a very stuff Takumi on the left, and a very stiff Leo on the right. I felt bad for her, having to be stuck between those two grumps.

"All right, is everyone buckled up-"

"Takumi?! What are you doing?!"

A feminine voice caught our attention, and we all looked over to see this girl standing a few feet away from the car, probably a junior like Takumi. She looked like she was probably one of the popular girls, maybe a cheerleader.

"Uh, what does it look like?" Takumi asked. "I'm going home."

"But… but… We were supposed to study together!" she protested, clearly distraught.

"I…. don't recall agreeing to that?" Takumi said slowly. "Uh… who are you, anyways?"

I wasn't sure if the girl was just acting or if she was genuinely upset, but she burst into tears. "F-Fine, don't hang out with me then!"

An awkward silence fell as she stormed away, sobbing loudly. Okay… that was really weird. Takumi must be really popular with girls or something. That was a bit questionable, seeing how grouchy he could be most of the time.

"I really wonder what all those girls see in you," Leo commented with disdain.

Takumi scowled. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"U-Um, can we get going? Please?" Sakura asked nervous, interrupting before the two boys could start arguing again.

"Yeah!" Elise exclaimed. "I can't wait for all of us to hang out together!"

I laughed gently, starting the car back up. "All right, we're off."

* * *

When we got to the Hoshido mansion, I parked the car in their long driveway, and everyone climbed out. Elise started rocking back and forth on her heels, her entire face lit up with excitement. It was a stark contrast to Leo's eternal glower. I just hoped bringing them here wouldn't backfire.

We let Takumi and Sakura go up to the front door first. Takumi pulled out his house key, and unlocked the door. We all headed inside after them. And almost as soon as the door clicked shut, Elise skipped ahead and grabbed Sakura by the hand.

"Come on, let's go!" she exclaimed with a cheerful smile.

Sakura giggled softly. "A-All right."

I watched them head off to the living room, leaving me with my two ornery brothers. I just gave them both a smile before heading after the girls. When I stepped into the living room, I saw that Aqua was waiting for us, curled up on one of the couches, looking over some sort of booklet, like the note packet booklets you'd get in high school. She glanced up from whatever she was reading in it.

"Oh, you're here." She closed the booklet. "Where are the-"

As if to answer her question, Leo and Takumi walked through the doorway, both of them still looking pretty grumpy. Takumi probably could have retreated to his room, but instead, he plopped himself down on the couch opposite of the one Aqua was sitting on. Leo did the same, but on the entire other end of the couch. I decided to sit down next to her while Elise and Sakura joined the boys.

"Whatcha reading?" I asked, looking over at Aqua.

"Oh, I'm just going over the script for the musical," she answered, meeting my gaze. "The director still wants us to keep going, but… unless we find someone to play Corrin, the show can't continue."

That was right… I had been so focused on finishing up this year of college, I had forgotten about how the co-lead had died, and that the musical was supposedly cursed. I really wished there was some way I could help, but… I had no talent with singing, and could only do formal ballroom dancing. Besides, the other lead role had to be male. There was no way a musical based on a famous legend would have a lesbian lead couple.

"What is it even about?" I asked. "It's been so long since I've heard about the Legend of Yato, so I'm kinda hazy on the details."

"Well… the Legend of Yato is essentially the story of the Hoshidos' and Nohrs' ancestors," Aqua began to explain. "The Yato was a divine sword that was wielded by the hero Corrin, the daughter of the queen of the kingdom of Hoshido, who was also a princess of the kingdom of Valla, who my own mother claimed descent from. The legend tells the story of how Corrin used the Yato to unite the two kingdoms and defeat the Silent Dragon. Of course, this is all just a myth, most likely to give two of the noble houses of our country a heroic background."

Oh… now that she mentioned it, I remembered now.

"I'm guessing you're playing Azura, then," I said. "The princess of Valla and Corrin's cousin."

She smiled and nodded. "Yes. But due to the… homosexual nature of her relationship with Corrin, the musical has been tweaked so that Corrin is male."

...Figures. They had no problem with the incest, but letting two women fall in love? _No way_.

I leaned back against the couch. "Doesn't that bother you?"

"Of course it does. But there's nothing I can do about it."

I let out a sigh. She was right, of course. I just hated it when stuff like this happened, and it happened a _lot_.

"Takumiii, can I braid you hair?"

Elise's voice drew us away from our conversation, and we looked across the room to the couch where the others were sitting. My little sister had scooted over closer to Takumi, and was now looking up at him with big, hopeful eyes and her infamous pouty lips.

"What?" he demanded, but not without pulling back away from her. "Why?"

She puffed out her cheeks, making herself pout even more. "Why _not_? Your hair is so long and silky! Pleaseeee?"

Takumi sighed, closing his eyes. "...Fine. But don't do anything crazy."

Her entire face lit up. "YAY! You're the best, Takumi!"

"Wow," Leo drawled, "you're whipped already and you're not even dating."

" _What_ did you just say?" Takumi demanded.

"Do I really have to repeat myself?" Leo rolled his eyes. "You're _whipped_."

Takumi was on his feet. "Say that to my face!"

"I just did," Leo deadpanned.

The next thing I knew, Takumi was swinging his fist at Leo's face, and there was a loud _CRACK!_ Then Leo was on his feet, and the two boys were brawling. Elise screamed, shrinking towards the corner of the couch, trying to get as far away from them as possible. Meanwhile, Sakura was frozen in her seat, staring at them with wide, horrified eyes. I was so shocked that they actually came to blows, I didn't move.

And then I snapped out of my shock and leaped up from my seat. "Hey! Knock it off!"

They weren't going to listen to me, obviously enough. The boys were grappling, then trying to push each other over, and then they were back to swinging fists. Blood had long since been drawn, and I was about to jump in to separate them, but the sound of sniffling caught my attention. Glancing over at the couch, I saw that Sakura was on the verge of tears.

"P-Please… stop…" Sakura buried her face into her hands right as the tears came.

"HEY! YOU ASSHOLES MADE SAKURA CRY!"

Literally everyone in the room froze. Even Aqua, who had stood up moments ago, most likely planning on helping me separate the boys. Elise had stood up on the couch and screamed at the top of her lungs, her tiny hands clenched into fists, looking very much _pissed_.

But this was our chance. Aqua and I quickly stepped over to the boys. I grabbed Leo by the arm, yanking him away, while she snagged Takumi. And right in that moment… guess who walked into the living room?

None other than my mother, Mikoto. She stopped dead in her tracks, eyes widening in shock as she took in the scene before her.

"What on earth…" Her voice trailed off.

"Uh… hi, Mikoto?" I let out a strained laugh.

Gods above help me.

* * *

A few minutes later, I saw sitting on one of the couches, dabbing hydrogen peroxide on one of the welts on Leo's cheek, trying _not_ to lecture him (he'd get enough from Father later), while Mikoto saw to Takumi's injuries, already chewing him out, but _somehow_ remaining sweet about it. Elise was trying to comfort Sakura by handing her tissues and shooting dirty looks at the boys every ten seconds. Aqua was also sitting with them, with her arm wrapped around Sakura's shoulders.

"Stop squirming," I scolded him as he tried to wiggle his way away from me.

"I have low pain tolerance."

"You should consider that next time you pick a fight with a top athlete."

"...Hmph." He scowled, crossing his arms over his chest right as I moved onto the nasty split on his bottom lip. "Agh!" He jerked away from me again, roughly shoving my arm away.

"Dammit, Leo, I'm already pissed off at you!" I snapped.

Like always, my bones smoldered with my anger. I hated how it was so painful every damn time I got pissed off about something. I had never told anyone about it, even though I was pretty sure it wasn't normal. I already felt weird enough, having pointed ears and red eyes.

"How about I take over and you go cool off?"

Mikoto's gentle voice snapped me out of my internal smoldering, and I looked up to see her standing there. For the first time since the ball, because of how busy I had been, I took a good look at her. Wow… was it just me, or was her hair always this thick and lucious? I was jealous. But… wait… I had thought she was just a little chubby when we first met, but…

"Um… Are you… by any chance… pregnant?"

If I was right, then the slight protrusion of her belly was a belly bump. And that meant the fashionable dress she was wearing was a maternity dress. But that also meant… she was having a baby really, really late. She was thirty-nine, after all. And… And… I was going to be a big sister. Not that I wasn't already a big sister, but to a _blood related_ sibling.

Mikoto chuckled softly. "Yes, Kamui. Did you just notice?"

"Uh…" I laughed nervously. "Maybe…"

"Wow, and I thought Leo didn't pay enough attention!" Elise exclaimed.

"H-Hey, I've been really busy!"

Mikoto smiled gently. "It's all right, dear. You've been consumed by finals."

Fighting the urge to sigh, I stood up from the couch. "Okay… You can take over."

Mikoto glanced behind her. "Aqua, why don't you show Kamui the koi pond out back? She hasn't seen it yet."

"All right." Aqua pulled away from Sakura and stood up. "Follow me, Kamui."

I nodded, and let her lead me through the house. We ended up entering the kitchen, and going through a back door from there. I stepped out into a large backyard, filled with bright green grass and a beautiful garden that didn't just have flowers, but herbs and vegetables. Aqua started moving, so I quietly followed her. Just being in her presence made the burning in my bones start fading away. A warm spring breeze caroused through, pulling at our hair. We stopped in front of a medium sized pond surrounded by tile shaped rocks. Through its crystal clear waters, I could see various koi swimming about.

Aqua sat down, cross legged, in front of the pond, and slipped her fingers into the water. Immediately, the fish swam over and began to touch her fingers with their noses. A soft, warm smile pulled at her lips, so breathtaking I felt my heart give a squeeze.

"I like to come here when I'm down," she said quietly, keeping her eyes on the fish and her fingers in the water. "The koi don't judge. They just… love us."

Hearing her say that made me wonder what exactly she had gone through that would make her a subject of judgement… All I knew was that her mother passed away somehow, and that's why Mikoto took her in. I realized there was very little I knew about Aqua Valla. She wasn't exactly an open book. Meanwhile, I had a tendency to ramble on about just about anything whenever I got nervous…

I sat down next to her, staying silent. I wasn't sure what to say, so I just slipped my fingers into the water. Some of the koi swam over, and one—a black and white spotted koi—nudged one of my fingers with its nose. I couldn't help but giggle a little; it was a funny feeling.

Much to my surprise, Aqua let out her own soft laugh. "That's Kaito. He must like you."

I gazed at Kaito the koi a little longer, before pulling my hand out of the water and sitting up straight. The burning sensation in my bones was long gone now, and I felt calm again. Sitting out here with Aqua, away from my bickering siblings, was a relief.

But… the realization that I barely knew anything about Aqua bothered me. Maybe, now that we were out here alone, I could ask her something.

"Hey, Aqua…" I looked over at her. "Our moms were best friends… but I barely know anything about yours."

She stared at the fish a little while longer, before pulling her hand out and sitting up straight as well. "I don't have much to tell. She died when I was eight."

"Oh…" I felt my heart sink into my chest. "I'm so sorry… It must have been so hard for you."

"It was. But… I do have good memories of her." Her hand reached up to finger the pendant dangling around her neck. "My mother, Shenmei, was a performer. She sang and danced, just like I do. She started teaching me how to sing as soon as I could talk. Most of my memories of her are of those times. Aunt Mikoto was a big part of my life as well. My mother was thrilled when she met Sumeragi and started working for him as a nanny."

Well, this was news. "A nanny?"

Aqua nodded. "Yes. You see, Sumeragi's previous wife, Ikona, died giving birth to Sakura. From what I remember, he was on his own for a year, raising baby Sakura, two year old Takumi, six year old Hinoka, and nine year old Ryoma. Mikoto had been living with us since they left the orphanage, and one day she came home and told my mother she had gotten a well paying job. At first, she stayed with us, but eventually she moved into the Hoshido mansion, since that would be easier for her to care for Takumi and Sakura. But she continued to send us half of her paycheck and visited when she could."

Wow… my mother really was a caring person. She was, like… the kind of person I aspired to be. Just listening to Aqua talk about this felt surreal.

"About a year after she first took the job, Mikoto came for a visit," she continued. "I overheard her speaking with my mother and confessing that she had fallen for Sumeragi, but was terrified because of how much older he was, and… past experiences. But Mother told her the same thing she always told me: follow your heart."

"What did she do?" I asked, feeling very engaged with this story.

"Well, what do you think?" Aqua chuckled. "They're married now, aren't they? Their fourteenth anniversary is this year. But my point is… my mother was the one who encouraged us both. And that's mainly how I remember her."

I stayed quiet for a moment, processing all of this. "What about your father? You haven't mentioned him at all."

The silence that fell between us was heavy. "He… is also dead. He died when I was a baby, so I have no memories of him."

I could feel my heart sinking even deeper. Aqua was an orphan… just like Leo and Elise. Out of us adopted into the Nohr family, Camilla and I were the only ones with parents still alive. Camilla's father was unknown, but her mother was a heroin addict who lived in the slums of the city. She tried reconnecting with her once, only for it to end badly. And that was why Camilla did so much charity work.

"I'm so sorry, Aqua… I had no idea."

"It's fine, Kamui. Really." She looked back down at the pond. "It's not like I haven't lived a happy life."

"I dunno," I said quietly. "You're always so melancholy—like you're carrying some sort of burden."

It was true. In the month I had known her, Aqua tended to be quiet. She spoke a lot when she wanted to, but otherwise she was silent. Even her dancing could seem sad if you caught her in one of her most solemn moments. I had no idea what she was hiding, but I wished she would tell me so I could help her somehow. She already had been there for me so many times since the ball. I wanted to do the same for her.

She was quiet for a moment. "You might not be that far off…"

...So I was right. She _was_ hiding something.

"You know… I'm always here to listen. That's what friends are for, right?"

"That's true, but… it's not something you need to worry yourself about." Aqua pushed herself up off the ground. "Come on, let's go back inside. Aunt Mikoto is probably done chewing out the boys by now."

I had a hard time picturing her chewing out anyone. But I stood up, brushed off my jeans, and nodded. I knew I couldn't force her to reveal whatever she was hiding, but at least I had let her know that I was here for her. It was the least I could do…

We, like everyone else, needed time.

"Okay," I said. "Let's get a snack, too. I'm kinda hungry after all that testing."

Aqua giggled lightly, a smile gracing her lips. "Well, we baked cookies last night, and I just made a fresh pitcher of lemonade before you came over. How does that sound?"

My stomach gurgled loudly, making my cheeks heat up with embarrassment. "Hahaha… Does that answer your question?"

She giggled again. "Yes, it does. Let's go."

I let her lead the way back inside, and despite the boys' fight and our serious discussion moments earlier… I felt light and happy.

Only Aqua could make me feel that way.


End file.
